1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle starting apparatuses and more particularly, to a remote vehicle starting apparatus incorporating a timer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motor vehicle owners know all too well of the great burdens associated with starting their vehicles in extreme temperature conditions. Whether in the heat of summer or the cold of winter, the automobile climate control system takes a considerable amount of time to take effect, during which those in the passenger compartment must endure the discomfort associated therewith. In cold weather situations, the passengers are forced to wait through the cold, often for several minutes while the engine heats up. In hot weather conditions, while air-conditioning systems cool the passenger compartment rather quickly, the sealed passenger compartment can cause the temperature therein to be elevated over outdoor temperatures. As a result, there is a need for a means by which one can avoid the discomfort associated with starting a motor vehicle under extreme temperature conditions.
The previous art consists of many examples of devices to aid individuals in heating of their motor vehicle under pre-running conditions. Examples of such prior art include the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,827,540 Underwood Mar. 18, 1958 3,496,855 DeBoer Feb. 24, 1970 4,293,759 Higgins Dec. 19, 1979 5,115,116 Reed May 19, 1992 ______________________________________
Devices constructed in accordance with these disclosures allow for the manufacture of devices that allow for the heating of the passenger compartment of motor vehicles. As such however, the inventions do not allow for the remote unattended starting of the motor vehicle, and may require connection to an additional source of power, such a separate battery in the motor vehicle or connection to a standard source of alternating current which is not always available where a car is parked. Additionally, these devices do not allow for the auxiliary cooling of the passenger compartment on those vehicles so equipped with air conditioning.
Other prior art emphasizes the enhancement of remote starting capabilities of motor vehicles. Examples of such prior art include the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,227,588 Biancardi Oct. 14, 1980 4,250,287 Richards Sep. 21, 1982 5,656,868 Gottlieb, et al. Aug. 12, 1997 5,721,550 Lopez Feb. 24, 1998 ______________________________________
Devices constructed in accordance with these disclosures allow for thus equipped motor vehicles to be started by the owner from a remote position. One disadvantage to this configuration is that when a motor vehicle is started at the same time each day such as when leaving for work or when returning home from work, the driver may forget to start the vehicle. Also, under extreme weather conditions, the motor vehicle may require a longer period of time to obtain tolerable internal temperatures inside the passenger compartment. This time may be on the order of twenty to thirty minutes. With this long of time frame, the driver may still be asleep and thus require awakening just to start the motor vehicle. This operation is certainly a detriment to the convenience features offered by conventional remote vehicle starting systems.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a device and method which overcomes the problems cited above.